Mission Beach to Yungaburra

Mission Beach to Yungaburra = 168km (Mission beach to Innisfail = 58km, Innisfail to Gordonvale = 62km, Gordonvale to Yungaburra = 48km)
Cummulative total = 4509km

Our plans have constantly changed since being here on the coast - I am finding that there is ALOT of misinformation around here especially when it comes to the internet - caravan parks no longer exist, rest areas are not what they say they are and basically we a going from day to day with no sure plans and I hate that way of travelling! I know that while cycling here to Yungburra I had the dreaded fear that the caravan park is no longer there!!! (although our source of information said there was a caravan park there is always that thought in the back of my mind that it is no longer there!).
Anyway I shall start way back at Mission Beach and I have to say we have had quite a time since then!
On our last rest day at Mission Beach Neil decided that despite (what I thought was) the coolish overcast day that he would go swimming ...

... what a slim body that is!!! He did inform me that the water was warm once you got in!
While at the caravan park there was a few Kookaburras flying about feeding on insects from the ground and there was 2 flittering about and when they stopped to watch us one let me go up quite close to them to take a photo (I was about 1 meter from the Kookaburra!).

This is a Laughing Kookaburra and the one that you tend to hear either just at the break of day
or when you have just done something stupid in public and you think that no one has seen you but you will always hear that laugh somewhere in the distance and you know the Kookaburra has seen you!!!
On our day of departure from Mission Beach we woke nice and early and although there we thick grey clouds Neil informs me that he looked up the internet on the Elders weather site and Innisfail was to have a few showers and that we should be okay ... well let me tell you if Elders weather sites' idea of just a few showers is a continuous torrential down pour from 8.30am to 2pm is a 'few showers' ... I would hate to see what they call 'heavy rain'!!! So it rained for the entire 58km to Innisfail and we all looked like drowned rats in the end ... and let me tell you Kouta was not impressed at all!
Just out of Mission Beach we met a German touring cyclist - Uwe (pronounced U-ver) and he was just popping in to have a look at Mission Beach and then continuing north. He is a very strong cyclist and caught up to us about an hour later.
The road back to the Bruce highway was narrow, hilly and windy and the rain by now was teaming down and at times it was difficult as do you think the cars slowed down their speed in these conditions for them? ... no! I was relieved to get to the Bruce Highway and we had an early coffee break at El Arish and Uwe joined us, we then continued on and said to Uwe that we will be staying at Innisfail and he said he wasn't sure how far he will get as his average daily ride is about 130km ... these Germans are just so crazy when it comes to cycle touring it is absolutely mad the distances they cover!
Now I thought that riding along the Bruce highway would be good on a Sunday - thinking there would be not much traffic ... well how wrong were we ... it was constant! so I said to Neil I think we should try to avoid riding on the weekends while we are in areas along the coast as the general traffic is really heavy!
We got to Innisfail and found that only the supa IGA is open on the Sunday so we picked up supplies and continued for another 4km just out of town to the rest area at the corner of the Palmerston and Bruce Highways - well that was a crappy rest area and Neil wanted to continue on but I said that it was already 2pm and the next rest area is another 25km away so that meant that we wouldn't get there until around 3.30pm and that was al ittle late for the current wet rainy conditions. So we decided to stay put.
Uwe decided to join us at the rest area and there were quite a few other vans there as well. The rest areas we have found are very popular with the overseas backpackers in their wicked, spaceship and a green and purple vans that can be rented out.

Above is at the rest area just out of Innisfail and Uwe is putting his tent up. As you can see the rain has stopped for a very brief while so we managed to put our tents up - as Neil said this is the fastest he has seen me help put the tent up ... I was determined that not a drop of rain hit the inner part of the tent!
We managed to get Kouta dry and banned him from leaving the inner dry sanctum of the tent ... do you think he listened to us? ... no! he was in and out, in and out all afternoon.
It was nice chatting with Uwe and later on in the evening as we sat on 2 tables under a big shelter we were joined by a Swiss guy and a French couple and that was really enjoyable and the Swiss guy was quite funny ... even Uwe had a laid back sense of humour for a German (who tend to be very serious and straight!).
Later on in the night when everyone had gone to bed a group of guys turned up at the rest area and sat at the tables right near where we were pitched and decided to have a rather loud conversation from 11pm to 2am so not much sleep during the night ... and I was too scared to get up and have a go at them!
In the morning we said goodbye to Uwe as he was going to cycle to Cairns (90kms) and he probably would get there around lunchtime and we were only going to Gordonvale (which is 23km south of Cairns) and we probably wouldn't get there until around 1pm!!! He cycles fast!
So at least the day was fine and it stayed fine for nearly all day ... but it was very humid and in the end it was a hot sweaty day to ride. The road was busy and was undulating a bit at times and unfortunately we didn't have a great shoulder - it is very inconsistent along this Bruce highway - sometimes our shoulder is massive and sometimes there is no shoulder! and in general the width of the car lanes can only JUST fit a small truck so in developing and rebuilding the Bruce highway they sort of didn't allow for the wider vans and trucks and so it is very difficult with a pushbike as we all know that most drivers think we shouldn't use the road at all!
We saw a snake today and it was in the shoulder of the road and when I saw it I thought it was a piece of tyre and then realised that it was a snake so we popped out onto the road to go around it and as we passed it I saw it was a big snake coiled up in itself and to me it looked alive and shiny and just warming itself up but Neil thought it was dead but I couldn't see any marks or squashed parts to it and it really did look like it had the 'living' shine to it!
We passed by Babinda and I looked down the mainstreet and could see the pub ... now for those that don't know the story I have a real aversion for Babinda - I cycled through here 15 years ago and went to visit the Boulders and on that day it was just pouring with rain absolutely belting down and I was a drowned rat and I decided that I would stay in a backpackers that night as it was too wet to camp ... well I saw that this pub here at Babinda had backpackers so I went in and asked if I could have a room ... well the guy (who was about ... and I am putting this nicely ... 15 months pregnant and clearly over weight) just looked me up and down and said that there was no vacancies! So I had to go back about 8km to a small town (forgotten the name) and I managed to get a room at some cheap hotel. I suppose you are wondering about why I am peeved that there was no vacancies at Babinda? ... well I know for a fact that the guy was lying about no vacancies as 15 years ago no one was going to this town and I could clearly see that it wasn't full (or else he would have put up a no vacancy sign if it was) so I just think that in my drowned wet state he didn't want me there dripping water everywhere with all my wet bags etc. So that is why I don't like Babinda ... and as I cycled past it the other day I wondered just what the 15 month pregnant guy is doing now ... or if he is still alive!
Anyway we got to Gordonvale just after 12.30pm and found that the caravan park had closed down 8 years ago but just before the town we saw a heap of vans in a rest area so we went back there and looked up on the internet and the 2 caravan parks that takes dogs are all in Cairns and we didn't want to go in there as our road was right opposite us to go up in the tablelands. So Neil sat down stated that he hated far North Queensland, had a little hissy fit and sulked a bit ... so I slapped him around a bit told him to pull himself together, get over it and said that we will stay here at the rest area and go up into the tablelands tomorrow and have a rest day at Yungaburra if the campground is nice .... (I didn't really slap him about!!!). Well he perked up at that so we set about to choose our campsite in the corner and over the course of the day and evening we were joined by at least 50 other groups ... now this rest area in the Camp 5 book is only a picnic area and since everything is booked out or just inconvenient for everyone it has now become a major camping one ... and it only has 1 toilet! at least it has drinking water! so we managed to get everything dried and I did a fair bit of hand washing in my folding bucket since all my clothes were wet from the ride to Innisfail.

As you can see from the photo above we are not far from the bridge which is the Bruce highway and all night you could here cars and trucks go over the bridge which is made up of sections and between the sections is a gap that makes a loud noise whenever a tyre hits it ... great a 2nd night a disturbed sleep!
We left early on our third morning knowing that we had short but tough day ahead of us with going up the Gillies ranges.

this is the ranges we have to go over - you climb to around 875m above sea level and I have always thought that it is harder to cycle the dividing range from east to west as you are starting from absolutely sea level and cycling the full 875m up, whereas when you cycle from west to east you may be starting from 200m above sea level so you are only climing 675m get my drift?!!!
Anyway at least it is a lovely sunny day, hot as well which meant the sweat was going to pour of me so we took extra water. Usually these ranges are covered in clouds and are absolutely miserable when it rains!

This first 10km to the base of the ranges is flattish and the bulk of the traffic was coming from the tablelands and going to Cairns so that was good.

At the base of the range it warns you that the next 19km is winding and I remember at this point where the above photo is taken we probably had our first bad encounter with a truck - we had just come around a corner and the truck came round and realised we were there and gave us 2 very abrupt toots on the horn and had to grind down in his gears ... he over took and his second trailer came very close to me at the front when he cut back in ... a deliberate ploy to try to intimidate us ... funny thing is it doesn't work ... what he doesn't realise is that we are quite competent on the roads with all the traffic and are not easily intimidated by their stupid dangerous tactics ... I even had the nerve to give him the finger! I said to Neil why would the idiot be coming up this winding road with a full heavy load knowing full well that it is full of switch backs and then expect to be able to go up this road without having to change speed and gears? I think we saw this same truck on its' way back down and I think it came back again and encountered us on one of the steep undulations after the main climb ... but Neil doesn't think so but I am sure it is the same truck as when he came across us in one of the undulations he did the same thing again left it to the last minute to over take us and had to virtually stop behind us as there was oncoming traffic ... somehow I don't think this driver is to competent when it comes to judging something he has to overtake - everyother truck driver has pre - empted us and tooted to warn us that he can't fit through and so get of the the road!
Anyway back to the climb ... the traffic was generally okay but one driver did decide to overtake on a blind corner and she got stuck in the middle of the road as there was another car coming in the opposite direction! Crazy people!!! But otherwise the 19km was mostly at the 4-5% grade which is really nice to cycle up and very easy to get in low gears and just continually grind away for the full 19km at around 7km per hour! It was beautiful riding up the hill a bit like riding from Forrest to Apollo Bay (minus the down hill!) in the Ottways in Victoria very bushy and scenic. Like I said this climb has heaps of twists, turns and switchbacks which suits us fine as it allows for a less gradient than some of the other mountains around Australia which go straight up and over at very steep almost unridable gradients!

On our way up well take a brief rest in a car pull over and Neil finds a pair of Nike size 12 (mens) jandals just lying there so he picks them up.

This photo was take about a quarter of the way up and you can see the flat lands below where they grow alot of turf grass.

the above photos were taken about 3 quarters of the way up at Heales lookout

and here I am at Heales Lookout and at this point I am just soaked through with sweat and I am feeling a little gunky since it has been 3 days since I have had a hot shower! But I am okay with the hill climb and I am having no problems whatsoever. I feel strong and I am saying I think I can ride up is Mt Kosciuskzo! LOL

And here is Neil at this point he is okay cycling up the hill but is finding that at the rest points he is a little dizzy so we assume that it may have something to do with the blood pressure tablets and maybe his pressure is getting a wee bit too low at times!

But we are both beginning to feel it in the legs after nearly 2 and 1/2 hours in the saddle the butts are sore and the quads a beginning to become a little bit fatigued.

At the top of the climb the road begins to be less steep and we are able to change into higher gears finally and there is no recognition at the top that you are actually at the top - you only know because at the 19km mark there is another sign saying that the winding road finishes in another 3km which means that you go down and up a bit again before hitting the tablelands.

Relieved to get to the top we pulled over to have a cuppa and food (we snacked a bit on the way up at times) and it was around 20km to Yungaburra where we hoped that the caravan park exists! It was a tough 20km very undulating and the road is very narrow with no shoulder and since the roads are not great my descent on these undulations were very cautious (as pot holes seem to pop up at you at the last moment!) and so I lost a great deal of speed going down to get up the hilly part - and some where steep and at this point in time my legs felt like lead!

We managed to get to Yungaburra and were able to pick up supplies from the local store and to our relief the campground was there and it is a lovley spot on Lake Tinaroo and what is even better the powered part of the campground is not as good as the unpowered section - we are virtually right on the lake whereas the powered section have to stand on their caravan roofs to actually see the lake!!!

It is a fabulous spot and on a day like yesterday when the above photo was taken it is absolutely beautiful in the sun ... don't know if I would like it if it was raining!!! The jandals Neil finds on the way up over the Gillies Ranges fits him well and he loves them so much that they won't leave his feet ... even when he sleeps!

And as I sit on my chair drinking my cup of tea this is my view ...

... I love it and so we are staying here for a well earned rest today and the legs this morning were a little stiff from the mountain ride. The tablelands are a bit like the North Island in NZ - hilly and so green that it hurts your eyes! It is generally raining up here but it is forecasted fine for the next few days - but today on our rest day it is very overcast and grey!

We have looked up the weather forecast and there is forecasted rain for this weekend so we are due to ride to Mareeba tomorrow so we may get stuck there over the weekend!